The Cozy Mystery Genre

As the days become shorter and colder this winter, it’s the
perfect time to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and a great book.
With familiar characters, quaint settings, and a happy ending every
time, you can escape from the busy holiday season with the perfect
cozy mystery novel.

Common
Elements of Cozy Mysteries

Cozy mysteries, a sub-genre of the mystery genre, are well-named
due to their common
tropes and themes. In a cozy mystery, the protagonist is usually
an amateur sleuth alongside her daily job. The protagonist tends to
be an intelligent woman who may work as a baker, librarian, florist,
teacher, or a range of other professions. Cozy mysteries typically
involve solving a murder or other serious crime, and our lovely
protagonist always seems to have a knack for finding the right clues
and being in the right place at the right time.

The settings
of cozy mysteries are usually quite idyllic, taking place in a small
town or village. The residents (and suspects!) likely all know each
other, and the protagonist is great at getting people to gossip about
each other or “overhearing” crucial information. Our amateur
sleuth is rarely a member of law enforcement or a medical examiner,
but she just so happens to be good friends with someone who is, so
she knows all the details of the case. The other police officers in
the community usually don’t take the protagonist seriously, and
they may not even notice her at all (which can come in handy when
she’s eavesdropping on conversations).

The main theme of a cozy mystery is the age-old trope of an
ordinary person who rises up to a challenge and becomes a hero.
But unlike some mystery novels, the hero never solves the crime
completely on her own. She finds support and advice from other
people, and she always has friends encouraging her along the way.
Cozy mysteries are sure to feature memorable characters, witty humor,
a strong female protagonist, and of course, a happy ending.

Three
Best Selling Cozy Mystery Authors

Cozy mystery authors write such well-loved protagonists and
supporting characters that readers often can’t help developing an
emotional attachment to them. Many authors write series of cozy
mysteries featuring the same hero solving case after case and making
quirky new friends along the way. If you’re ready to start solving
crimes and journeying with a talented sleuth, here are three of our
favorite cozy mystery authors and their most notable works so you can
begin your new adventure this winter!

Cynthia
Ellison

Cynthia Ellison has written five novels thus far in her career,
but her most
popular book by far is called The Lighthouse Keeper. In
this book, protagonist Dawn Conner returns to her hometown near Lake
Michigan after her grandfather is accused of stealing silver from an
old shipwreck that sits beneath a crumbling lighthouse. Dawn plans to
renovate and sell the lighthouse while trying to prove her
grandfather’s innocence, but it proves to be harder than she
imagined: especially when a particularly handsome nautical researcher
starts to get involved in the case.

Lauren K.
Denton

Lauren K. Denton’s novel,
The Hideaway, is a USA Today and Amazon Charts
bestseller. Main character Sara Jenkins, the owner of an adorable
antique shop in New Orleans, is whisked back to Sweet Bay, Alabama
after hearing of her grandmother’s passing. Sara plans to deal with
matters quickly to return to New Orleans, but she learns that her
grandmother left her “The Hideaway,” a run-down B&B, in her
will. As Sara explores her old town, she is shocked to uncover
unexpected details about her grandmother’s long life and begins to
piece together her thrilling history.

Alexander
McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’
Detective Agency series,
which features protagonist Precious Ramotswe, who has a passion to
“help people with problems in their lives.” She sets up her
agency in Gaborone and is soon hired for a variety of different
cases. Precious must figure out how to find a cunning con artist,
track down a friend’s missing husband, and find someone’s runaway
daughter. Precious has a full load of mysteries to solve, but she
can’t help but become intrigued by the case of a missing
11-year-old boy…who may have been kidnapped by witch doctors.

Where to
Find More Cozy Mysteries

You can find a deep selection of free cozy mystery books to
download onto your Kindle here (when
you go this page, click on the cozy mystery link and you’ll be taken
to Amazon’s full free selection). Remember that Amazon frequently
changes the selection of free books, so be sure to check back often.

If you’d like to find more free Kindle books, try the free book
site that we love Booksliced.com.